Wisdom of the Moon
by SomeoneI'mSure
Summary: Shadows are any shade of darkness, whether that be dark gray, gray or pure black. Some shadows point away from the light, like shadows stretching across the day. While others protect them, like the darkness that creeps across the moon at night. But all are strongest when the lights go out.
1. Chapter 1 - WindClan

**WindClan**

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><p>The birds twittered softly as they perched on their tree branches in the early morning sunlight, the rustling winds and creaking branches were swallowed up by the sound. Waves lapped at the lake shore, drawing tide lines in the muddy shore.<p>

The dark gray apprentice frowned over the stretch of moorland at the distant Horseplace, taking in the sight with a small amount of trepidation. WindClan's deputy crouched in the grass beside him, patiently waiting for his apprentice to tell him what he smelled.

"I smell some kind of animal. I think it's a horse," Stonepaw suggested, glancing at his mentor worriedly out of the corner of his eye. The deputy didn't comment, watching the dark gray apprentice silently. Stonepaw tried again. "I smell mice, and I think a cat."

The deputy gave a nod, his own eyes scoring their surroundings. The open moors allowed cats and rabbits to dart in any direction, letting them run freely and unhindered across great stretches of land. Stonepaw was confident that he could strike down anything that attacked, but his mentor had already taught him the importance of being able to run away as fast as he could when caught in a tight spot. The knowledge that either one of them could be attacked any moment by foxes or badgers hiding out of sight and out of smell in the grass had been drilled into him on his first day of training, and both mentor and apprentice were on edge.

This was the first time they had gone out on patrol, because Swiftstrike had insisted that Stonepaw learn a few battle moves and techniques before being let out on the wild. The Clan valued their cautious deputy, and not just for his savage and deadly fighting skills. Swiftstrike was a well-respected warrior in all the Clans and when Stonepaw had been made his apprentice, he had felt a prickle of pride ripple through his fur, the fiery smugness had hardly left him. He was more than a little grateful that he was being trained by the Clan's most experienced and powerful warrior, even if that meant he didn't go out on patrol his first day as an apprentice. The light gray tabby's rigorous fighting program more than made of up for lack of patrols anyway.

The deputy flicked an ear. "Is that everything?" he asked neutrally.

Stonepaw nodded respectfully.

Swiftstrike was pleased. "Good," he said, slinking through the grass until he almost disappeared. Stonepaw recalled his training and opened his jaws as he followed, tracking Swiftstrike's scent rather than the rippling waves of grass in front of him. During his first battle practice, Swiftstrike had been extremely careful in explaining to him both the strengths and weaknesses of living in the moor. In a fight, the moor grass was useful in using it to disappear and escape, or to ambush an enemy who wasn't used to the territory. The deputy drilled into his skull the importance of knowing the moorlands inside and out, so that Stonepaw could walk through the grass blindly without every truly getting lost. Only cats from other Clans stuck their heads out of the moor grass, and they generally got noticed immediately once they entered the territory. You could see a cat's head poking out of the grass for entire tree lengths in the flat moorlands.

Walls of green grass and purple flowered heather plants parted before him before rustling slightly back into place. Stonepaw crept silently through the moorlands, listening to the chirping frogs that hid beneath the grasses and the talltale rustle of a fieldmouse poking through the leaves for its evening meal. Stonepaw felt a rush of pride as he passed silently beyond the mouse's hiding place, never once desturbing the creature. He hadn't yet learned how to hunt, but he knew that now that it was soon to come and he would be able to help the rest of his Clan stock up their fresh-kill pile, like Whiskerpaw and Cloudpaw were no doubt already doing. Stonepaw felt jealous every time he saw them walk into camp with their jaws full of prey, but he kept promising himself that he would catch up to them on hunting skills later and relished in the fact that the two she-cats still hadn't truly begun to do any battle moves.

He finally caught up to Swiftstrike, and watched from the grasses as Swiftstrike marked the grasses that bordered the Horseplace. He stuck his nose out of the grass to sniff at winds carried sideways along the horseplace, catching a sharp wiff of the breeze. He looked expectantly at his mentor, who merely gestured with his tail for the smaller tom to follow as they headed up the border back to the lake.

"If the Horseplace wasn't here, I'd show you what a RiverClan cat smelled like," he said. "But fortunately – or unfortunately depending on who you ask – Horseplace is the border between us and RiverClan. It's as much a protective liner as it is a threat to us. Horses are dangerous if they escape, because they can kick a cat that gets too close and that would be the end of it. You'd be dead before we even dragged your body back to camp."

Stonepaw glanced back over his shoulder at the distant creatures, imagining himself standing right next to one and then shuddered. He hoped foxes and badgers weren't that big. "Are they really that dangerous?" he asked.

Swiftstrike snorted, amused. "Only when startled. Otherwise, they'll just eat us out of grass and heather."

Stonepaw purred in amusement, growing silent as they passed the twoleg house. It was empty of twolegs, but Stonepaw caught the distinct smell of cat. "Who are they?" he asked, the moment they got in sight of the house's entrance. It was very far away, too far away from anyone inside to see the two Clan cats stalking through the grass towards the Lake.

"Kittypets," Swiftstrike said with a sniff of derision, before amending, "or loners. Either way, if they don't bother us, then we don't bother them."

He quickened his pace and Stonepaw hurried up, wondering for a brief moment if Swiftstrike wanted to get away from the loners as soon as possible. He caste a quick glance towards the barn, wondering if the flicker of sleek black fur in the barn was a cat or not, before returning his attention to Swiftstrike and realizing he'd gotten a bit behind the warrior. He had to race to catch up, and was panting slightly when he finally made it to the edge of the neutral territory surrounding the lake. They stopped to mark the borders and Stonepaw made a face as a stale foresty smell hit his nose.

"Who is that?" Stonepaw wondered, looking over towards the source of the smell in distain. He could barely see the mouth of the stream which marked the border between WindClan and ThunderClan, with its trees stretching high over head. He looked over at his mentor, who had started to lap up the water by the lake's edge. Reailzing that the deputy hadn't heard him, he padded up to stand beside the tom. "Is that smell ThunderClan?"

The tabby lifted his head and sniffed the wind, giving a short nod. "Correct. Though it's a bit stronger than it should be," he said, mostly to himself. "A cat must have passed by in the last day or so."

"Should we be worried?" Stonepaw wondered, looking back up the border towards where he thought RiverClan lay. "They might be making an alliance with RiverClan."

Swiftstrike wondered on that for a moment, before finally shaking his head. "We shouldn't worry. ThunderClan has always been more generous in helping the other Clans. It might have been a Medicine Cat, and even if that's not the case, it will be RiverClan's responsibility to drive them away."

"Then we could stage an ambush here for when the cat returns," Stonepaw pointed out, excitement tingling his paws as he glanced around for the perfect spot to create an ambush. "We could hide in the heather and no cat would be any wiser."

"No," Swiftstrike said firmly, stepping away from the water and slinking across the WindClan border. His tail twitched in a silent command for Stonepaw to follow, and they both returned to navigating the border as Swiftstrike continued. "A Medicine Cat's business is not a Clan's business. While warriors must take care of their own Clan, a Medicine Cat must remain outside of normal Clan rivalries and help all cats in need of their aid. They are protected by StarClan on whatever journey they might be on, and we must respect that of them."

Stonepaw gave a solumn nod, cursing himself for forgetting that. "So, we should never attack a Medicine Cat?" he asked.

"Avoid it unless absolutely necessary," Swiftstrike amended. "In a fight, some Medicine Cats might very well try to defend their clan like a warrior would. In this case, we must defend ourselves and sometimes that means the loss of a Medicine Cat's life." He sighed, adding thoughtfully. "It is strange, considering that some Medicine Cats have given up the life of a warrior so that they can save lives instead of hurt them."

Stonepaw nodded, looking back over WindClan territory. "Are we ever going to explore the territory?" he asked.

"When I begin training you to hunt and not a moment sooner," the deputy assured him with a smile. "Have patience, Stonepaw. A warrior must master patience if he's ever to become a good fighter or even a good hunter."

Stonepaw nodded enthusiatstically. "I will, I will!" he meowed, bouncing on his paws slightly before remembering that he was in dangerous territory. Swiftstrike's whiskers twitched in amusement.

They made it back to camp around sunset, and Swiftstike immediately gestured Stonepaw to the fresh-kill pile. Tired but not bone-weary, Stonepaw picked up a rabbit and headed over to the center of camp, unafraid of the hot dry sun beating down on his fur. WindClan was used to the open air, and proud of the fact that they always saw the full of Silverpelt not matter where they were on the moors. Stonepaw was no exception.

He was soon joined by Cloudpaw and Whiskerpaw, both looking tired after their first day of battle practice. Stonepaw couldn't help the smug look that spread over his face as he looked one bone-weary apprentice up and the other down. "Need a rabbit," he purred, showing off his largely unfinished piece of fresh-kill. Rabbits were far too big for one cat to share and they bred rapidly, giving all of WindClan plenty of prey for both leaf-green and leaf-bare and, even if they weren't enough a WindClan warrior could also catch moles, squirrels and birds. It was tradition to eat the birds and squrriels and moles during leaf-green and then catch rabbits for leaf-bare, simply because rabbits didn't hibernate and most squirrels had bunkered down while birds had flown south.

His sister gave an amused rumble as she mock-temperedly grabbed the rabbit and began to chew it up. Cloudpaw took a more dainty approach, settling down beside her best friend to pick at her half of the rabbit. Pretty soon, they had finished it off, leaving Stonepaw to crunch up the bones and slurp out the marrow.

"So," Whiskerpaw began, stretching her limbs and laying out on the dusty ground. "How was border patrol?"

"Exhausting," Stonepaw deadpanned, earning an amused paw swipe from his sister. "How was battle practice?"

"_Tiring_," Whiskerpaw huffed, earning a rumbling purr from Cloudpaw. "Blazeflash pushed us so hard it felt like my paws were gonna fall off!" She licked a paw delicately to demonstrate, dramatically letting it sag and putting on a horrified expression.

Stonepaw chuckled, turning to Cloudpaw. "How do _you_ like it, Cloudpaw?"

Cloudpaw looked momentarily startled, shifting uncomfortably on her paws as both cats looked at her. "Uhm, I did okay," she meowed, embarrassed.

"I can't wait to go up against you," Whiskerpaw exclaimed, rumbling in a purr. "I'll show you just how tough I am in a fight!"

Stonepaw grinned, his body tensing in preparation for their play fight. "You're on, sister!_ Raawwr_!"

Stonepaw gave a mock lunge, paws splayed and arms extended as he fell towards her. Knowing she had plenty of time to roll away, Whiskerpaw tensed and jumped back, landing perfectly balanced on her haunches with her back straight and paws extended.

"Rawr! I'mma bear!" she rumbled in her mock grr face, then darted off as Stonepaw finished his long drawn out fall and darted for her. They happily shot around the Tallrock, chasing after each other until finally Whiskerpaw stopped and whipped around, catching Stonepaw by surprise and causing him to bowl into her. They struck the gorse bush, earning a deep rumble from witin as the medicine cat showed his disapproval.

"Hey!" the old tom snarled. "Don't try and uproot my den!"

"Sorry, Featherbreeze!" they coursed, before darting away in case he changed his mind.

The rabbit carcass had already disappeared when they got back, where Cloudpaw had been delicately licking her paws before she heard Featherbreeze's reprimand. She gave her two friends a light glare, though both siblings knew she was laughing on the inside.

"And what," she mock scolded, "have I told you two apprentices about bothering the medicine cat?"

Whiskerpaw laughed as Stonepaw made a sharp bow, face aghast as he pretended to quote Cloudpaw. "Don't every bother the old cat or else we'll have our tails chopped off and fed to the frogs!"

Cloudpaw gave a very serious and exaggerated nod, fluffing out her chest and commanding in a very good impression of Breezestar's voice. "Then, for your crimes, you must therefore be punished." She made a chopping motion with her paw and mock-glared at Stonepaw's tail, as if she could chop it off from will alone. Whiskerpaw burst into fits and giggles, while Stonepaw gave a mock-moan.

"Alas, my tail!" he cried, rolling on his back. "I submit, oh, Cloudstar! Have mercy on your warriors!" he cried.

Cloudpaw burst into laughter, which vainly tried to stiffle. Whiskerpaw didn't even try, laughing her tail off as Stonepaw grinned lopsidedly on his back in the goofiest position they'd ever seen.

When the laughter finally died down, the sun had set and tiredness had seeped into the three young cat's bones, even though their minds were still very much wide awake. A few warriors had already retired, and their sleeping forms breathed softly in the center of the clearing, watching by the moon and the whole of Silverpelt. After his stressful first day on the border partol, Stonepaw felt the peaceful atmosphere start to drag at his eyelids but a probbing paw in his side made his glare mutely at his sister.

"Well," Whiskerpaw started, amused, "how was patrol?"

Stonepaw rolled his eyes as he settled down, wrapping his tail around his paws and hoping it made him look more experienced and sophisticated. "Well, while we were at the southern border, I smelled ThunderClan on the neutral territory."

"What? Really?" the grey she-cat asked. "How many? Did you see them?"

He shook his head. "It was an old and stale scent, and there was only one as far as Swiftstrike and I could tell." He paused, watching the disappointment fall over his friend's faces. "But I did see one of the loners in the Horseplace."

Whiskerpaw immediately perked up. "How big was he? Was he covered in scars? What color was his pelt?"

Cloudpaw's ear flicked. "It could have been a she," she said, suddenly.

The grey she-cat rolled her eyes. "Okay, how big was _she_?"

Stonepaw rumbled in amusement. "I only saw a flash of its pelt as it moved inside the Twoleg nest. It was black and sleek looking, well-fed from my guess."

Whiskerpaw snorted. "No surprise there. They get plenty of twoleg slop from those stupid bowls Twolegs give them. Once a kittypet, always a kittypet."

Stonepaw flicked an ear at his sister in agreement, while Cloudpaw said. "There haven't been twolegs up there in forever, so they can't be kittypets. They have to be loners."

"Yes, but they once _were_ kittypets."

"You don't know that."

Stonepaw interjected. "Didn't Rainstorm say that twolegs hadn't been there for generations?"

Cloudpaw gave a nod while Whiskerpaw sputtered. "Yeah, well."

"So they have to be loners," Stonepaw decided matter-of-factly. "With kittypet blood."

"Right," Whiskerpaw agreed. Cloudpaw nodded in acceptance of the fact.

"That can hunt prey," Stonepaw pointed out with a cheeky grin, earning an annoyed ear-flick from his sister.

"Fine, whatever," Whiskerpaw admitted. "I still say, Once a Kittypet, Always a Kittypet."

"_Everyone_ says that."

Cloudpaw frowned. "Just because everyone says it doesn't make it true."

Whiskerpaw made a feint swipe at Cloudpaw's ear, rolling her eyes in exhasperation. "Fine, fine."

The three apprentices were growing more and more tired. Cloudpaw was crouched down with her tail curled up, seated in the moss covered center of the camp where WindClan usually slept together. While elders and the Medicine Cat usually had their own dens, the rest of the Clan slept beneath the Tallrock in the center of the clearing.

Whiskerpaw curled up beside Cloudpaw while Stonepaw curled up on his sister's side. Whiskerpaw looked at her brother when he shifted a bit too much on the moss, and he returned her look with a playful wink as he wrapped his tail around her body, the tip brushing against Cloudpaw's fur. His face wrinkled in a grin. "I has trapped you, har har."

His sister rolled her eyes and settled back down to sleep, ignoring Stonepaw's and closing her eyes. Stonepaw did the same in hopes of drifting off to sleep. Sleep was not always forthcoming to Stonepaw, not since had first became an apprentice one week ago. It would be two more weeks until the next gathering and Stonepaw hoped that he'd be picked for it. Even though they were the only three apprentices in the whole of WindClan, he knew that there was a slight possibility that one of them might get left behind and he prayed to StarClan that that cat wasn't going to be him, even if it meant Cloudpaw or Whiskerpaw had to stay behind.

His heart ached every time he thought about going when they had to stay. It didn't seem fair for one to stay and two to go when they had all gotten to know each other so well. Then again, Cloudpaw was a moon older than Stonepaw and it was more than likely that Stonepaw's position as deputy's apprentice would garrantee he would be coming. But the deputy's strange training method had his head swimming in doubt. It didn't make sense that he should go to the gathering when he wasn't getting trained properly. Sure, Swiftstrike was a great mentor and a great warrior, but what in StarClan's name was he thinking?

Then again, the whole Clan trusted the deputy and never once questioned his teaching methods. So, Stonepaw had been trained to fight first and then hunt for the Clan. Whatever. The better protected the Clan was, and in the middle of leaf-green it seemed less damaging to the Clan.

What did Breezestar think of this? It didn't matter what the Clan thought, if Breezestar didn't see that Stonepaw was fit to go to the Gathering, then he wouldn't be going to the Gathering. Period.

Stonepaw prayed to StarClan that he was ready, and finally found the peace of mind to slip off into his dreams. He was standing on the edge of the moorland, looking out over the stretch of land between him and the twoleg nest. Black shadows crawled in past the doorway, and red eyes gleaming out from a pure sleek black pelt. The sharp sound of the wind over the grass made him look back over his shoulder towards ThunderClan territory. He blinked in horror as he looked up into the sky, his mouth agap.

All of Silverpelt had gone dark.

Stonepaw shuddered, feeling whiskers touch his cheek but unable to turn his head and see who was standing next to him. A brief imagine of the black cat with the amber eyes flashed through his mind.

"_Shadows will restore the light_."


	2. Chapter 2 - RiverClan

**RiverClan**

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><p>The gray apprentice watched his mentor sorting through the herbs, silent but not at all forgotten in his corner of the den, enthusiasm and excitement rolling off him in waves. It left his mentor exasperated with him half the time – the young tom had only been an apprentice for two moons and he already seemed like he was more than ready to take over all her duties as Medicine cat. He heard his mentor purr at him, much in the same way a mother purred at her kit.<p>

He was just so excited to finally _be_ here. He was a medicine cat apprentice – his dream come true – and even two moons on the job had hardly dampened his spirits. He was a great medicine cat apprentice, though he admittedly still had so much to learn. He was still sucking up herb lore like a sponge did water – the best apprentice Whitewater had ever seen. He found that amusing; he was the only apprentice she had ever had!

_But I'm still the best_, he said to himself, pleased. He had made great progress in his training and everyone knew it. Everyone was proud of the prodigal medicine cat apprentice in RiverClan, and Pebblepaw was more than happy to keep them proud of him. He kept his nose buried in the herbs every other day, memorizing all the textures and smells until he could recognize them all with his eyes closed, just like Jayfeather of ThunderClan had done when the cranky blind cat was still alive. Pebblepaw had never met the cat, but he had heard stories of the Three and their father since he was a kit.

It didn't seem like it made sense that his Clan should whisper of a leader of another Clan as often as it did, but it happened. Pebblepaw had gotten used to the quiet murmurs in the background that he didn't notice it anymore. It was background noise.

Pebblepaw's attention snapped back to his mentor as she made an unexpected movement towards the door. "You headed out?"

Whitewater purred in amusement. "Yes," she responded, amused. "You can handle yourself while I'm gone, can't you?" she asked, pausing by the door as if half-expecting to say no.

"Of course I can," he purred proudly, his chest puffing out. Energy pulsed through his paws and fur and he licked his chest in an attempt to dispel some of that energy and, on second thought, make himself look less kittish.

His mentor gave her white tipped tail a thoughtful flick before heading out the den entrance and padding across the island like clearing. Pebblepaw padded out to the entrance and watched her gray-and-white form disappeared into the reeds surrounding the island before vanishing into RiverClan territory. He held his breath, half-expecting her to come tearing back across the open camp to check up on him. When she didn't, he let out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and he turned back towards the supply depot. As if to assure himself that everything was under his command, he began rearranging the den, making it tidier than when she had left. Whitewater had a tendency to not put things back up when she was done with them; well, Pebblepaw was more than willing to prove himself by making sure everything was exactly where it was supposed to be when she got back.

In the midst of cleaning, he kept drifting to hover by the door, peaking out as if prepared to preempt danger by spotting any cats that might race to the medicine cat den. He checked over all the medicine cat supplies, double-checked, made sure everything was well stocked and exactly where it needed to be.

He shifted on his paws, settling down on his own nest and trying to feign sleep. Elders always looked so sophisticated and wise when they were sitting in their nests, tails tightly wrapped around their paws, and Pebblepaw hoped to mimic that. It was difficult to stay in one place, and his eyes kept sliding to the door even though he tried to kept them shut.

He had sat there longer than he had sat anywhere, and it felt like ants had started to crawl across his pelt when he heard the sound of pawsteps. He almost blew right out of the medicine cat's den to greet his mentor but checked himself when he was a tail length away from the entrance. He licked his chest and flattened his fur, trying to hide the excitement flooding through him.

Pebblepaw was disappointed that the head that appeared through the thorn branches wasn't the white-and-gray face of his mentor but in fact the pure white face and icy-blue stare of the deputy, Hailfrost. The big tom's eyes sparkled as he looked at Pebblepaw.

"She finally left you alone to yourself, huh?" the warrior asked, amused.

Pebblepaw's disappointed was quickly covered by his sudden excitement that he might get his first medicine cat task without his mentor present. "Yes, she did," he said, trying to sound mature and respectable though it came out as a squeak mewl. Embarrassed, he tried to cover it by licking his chest. Then he realized he couldn't speak while licking his chest. "Er, can I help you?"

Hailfrost gave a rumbling purr. "Whitewater said that you'd have some traveling herbs ready for Redstar for his journey to the Moonpool."

"Er, yes, hang on a moment," he said, flustered and turning away to the medicine cat stash. In all his attempts to impress Whitewater for when she got back, he had accidentally put the traveling herbs back up. He tried to remember which ones were supposed to be in the batch, and the pressure of the RiverClan deputy standing right behind him made his fur fluff up. Hailfrost purred in amusement behind him, and that made him all the more flustered.

Redstar had been planning on heading to Highstones after the last warrior ceremony, but they'd been busy keeping their borders secure from possible invasion from the ShadowClan cats. Splashpelt and Volefang had become warriors three moons ago and tradition meant that they had to go to the Moonstones to meet their warrior ancestors for the first time. Normally, they'd have done this within the first moon, but Redstar had held it off after tensions rose with ShadowClan. He wanted to make sure his Clan was safe before he left it to Hailfrost's paws.

Unfortunately, when that time finally came around, Splashpelt was too busy with her swollen belly to go on her first trip, forcing her brother to make the journey on his own. Splashpelt would make the journey in another moon or so, when her kits were born and she was well enough to make the journey. Pebblepaw's fur prickled whenever he thought of the day he would have to help Whitewater deliver her kits; excited over the prospect of new lives in Clan but equally horrified that he might do something wrong and the kits would die.

Pebblepaw had a good memory of herbs, and he hoped it had served him well as he piled up a new batch of traveling herbs and handed them over to Hailfrost. "These look right," he meowed, flustered.

The white tom raised an eyebrow at that. "You mean you don't know?" he purred, looking over the traveling herbs and giving them a sniff. Pebblepaw realized that the deputy would have experience with traveling herb batches from when Whitewater made them for him and the other warriors. He felt a wave of relief when Hailfrost took the batches without further comment and headed off towards the thicket which housed the leader's den. His relief was quickly replaced by excitement and anxiety and he moved back into the medicine cat den to check over the supplies. He thought that he should ask Whitewater if he had made the traveling herbs correctly, just in case.

It wasn't long afterwards that another head poked its way underneath the medicine cat bush, but Pebblepaw recognized the green eyes of his fellow apprentice Leopardpaw. The young tom looked over the medicine cat den before his eyes landed on Pebblepaw.

"Whitewater's gone?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes," Pebblepaw asserted, his chest fluffing out in pride before checking himself. "Can I help you?"

"No, I'm just surprised that she'd leave you here." The comment made Pebblepaw bristle, but he reminded himself that this was Leopardpaw, and he knew his friend well enough to understand that sometimes Leopardpaw just didn't get the nuances of friendship.

"Any reason why you came to visit?" Pebblepaw asked, hoping to dispel the awkwardness of the situation.

"Oh," Leopardpaw said, slinking inside the den, his tail sticking out and gleaming spotted gold in the sunlight. "I came to tell you that I'll be needing mouse bile."

When Leopardpaw didn't explain further, Pebblepaw shifted awkwardly on his nest and looked around. "Right, mouse bile." He padded over to the supplies and pulled out mouse-bile soaked moss, which he carefully handed over to Leopardpaw. "Make sure to wash it out of your paws when you're done," he said, cheerfully repeating Whitewater's words for whenever an apprentice came asking around for mouse bile. Leopardpaw came by so many times that it was practically already made before he even walked into the door. Pebblepaw never asked him why, though he guessed it had something to do with Mudsplash always getting her tail in a bunch after they were done training. The gray tom _knew_ Leopardpaw was stubborn at times, and he wished he could help both of them, but he was stuck being a medicine cat apprentice. His expertise was in the field of herbal lore.

Reminded of his solemn duty, he marched back over to his nest and lay down, trying to appear like someone who knew exactly what he was doing even though anxiety prickled through his pelt more and more as the time dragged by.

_At this rate_, he mused to himself, _Splashpelt's going to have her kits before Whitewater gets back!_

The thought reminded him that being in the Medicine den sorting through herbs was only part of a medicine cat's duties. Eager to have something done, he started out of the den and headed towards the nursery, eager to relieve himself of his boredom.

The welcoming darkness and smell of milk brought back nostalgia of his kithood days, and he sighed as he breathed them in. Anxiety prickled his pelt as an image of himself, alone, standing over Splashpelt flashed through his mind, blood soaking the nursery floor. He shuddered, hoping it wasn't a vision.

"Splashpelt?" he called, peering through the darkness for the brown-and-white she cat's familiar pelt. "Can I come in?"

A pink tongue shown through the gloom as Splashpelt yawned. "Morning, tom," she greeted him with a purr. "How's the fish flopping?"

Pebblepaw purred. "As floppy and as slippery as ever." He stepped toward her and looked over her swollen belly. "I came to check up on you," he meowed.

She snorted. "Medicine cats. They never leave you alone in peace." Her purr betrayed her amusement and the tease washed over Pebblepaw, melting away his anxiety and confirming that she was indeed okay.

"Are you sure there's nothing else I can do for you?" he asked, amused.

"Not really," she admitted, after some thought. "Though I am tired." She looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head in mile reproach.

"Poppy seeds are harmful to unborn kits," he recited, flicking an ear in apology. He tilted his head in curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

She rumbled, her voice dropping to a secretive whisper while her eyes darted around. "Can I tell you a secret?"

He leaned forward, eagerness tingling his paws. "Sure!" he meowed.

"I can feel them," she said, her voice calm though he could feel her excitement in the air. Her eyes flashed. "In my belly. They're moving." She erupted into purrs and Pebblepaw whiskers twitched.

"That's great!" he purred, excited because she was excited, but he suddenly became more serious. "Do you think they'll be coming soon?"

She nodded. "They'll be coming soon." Pebblepaw felt his heart jump in his chest but Splashpelt didn't notice, her face beamed. "I can't wait for the moon to pass and see my kits for the first time!" She failed to see Pebblepaw visibly relax.

"I can't wait to see them either," he purred. "New kits for the Clan! And new apprentices!"

Splashpelt nodded enthusiastically. "You'll be happy to have a few more apprentices around, wouldn't you?" she purred.

Pebblepaw felt the briefest flash of annoyance, his grin never slipping. "Sure! Then we'll have more warriors for the Clan."

The queen shook her head, decidedly less amused. "Ah, yes, they grow up so fast." She looked thoughtfully at Pebblepaw before glancing at her paws.

The young gray tom blinked. "You okay?" he asked, glancing wearily at her belly.

"Oh, just fine!" she said, flustered. She looked thoughtful again and sighed. "They'll be apprentices soon after they're born."

Pebblepaw rumbled in confusion but leaned forward and nudged the queen's shoulder gently with his nose. "You'll see them every day," he murmured.

"Right," she meowed firmly to herself, looking at Pebblepaw warmly. "And you'll see them in StarClan, won't you?"

Pebblepaw nodded, but internally frowned. Splashpelt had a darkness inside of her, something morbid that Pebblepaw felt afraid to touch. He shuddered, wondering if something might be seriously wrong with the young queen or if it was natural for queens to be this way.

"Of course," he promised, feeling that he was supposed to promise something. She nodded.

"Great," she breathed.

Pebblepaw purred before realizing that he might be needed elsewhere. "I should probably head back to the den. Whitewater might have gotten back by now." He said in way of apology.

"Go ahead," Splashpelt meowed, dismissing him with a distracted flick of her tail.

Bowing his head in thanks, he tried not to seem to rushed as he headed out of the nursery, before racing across the camp to the medicine cat den. Unfortunately, the white-and-gray medicine cat hadn't returned and Pebblepaw found himself with little else to do. Normally, he'd head out and gather herbs, except Whitewater was basically already doing that.

_Oh, StarClan, please let her come back soon_, he prayed. _I might die!_

He padded over to the pool beneath the thorn bush that made up the medicine cat den. He frowned down at the still water at his solid gray pelt and sighed as he stared at the boring coat color.

_I hope something exciting happens around here soon._

* * *

><p>It was dark when Pebblepaw began to worry. The long-haired tom had rearranged the herbs seven times before he gave up and tried to find something else to do.<p>

Redstar and Volefang had already left camp when Pebblepaw realized he was currently the only Medicine Cat in the camp. He didn't feel comfortable curling up on his nest and resting while Whitewater was missing. It was his first time being alone, and he wanted to look like he'd done something instead of just rearranging herbs. Visiting Splashpelt hadn't been enough to tire him out. The first anxiety of possibly having to deal with Splashpelt giving birth all by himself had faded over time, giving way to his worry that Whitewater might be lost or worse.

Pebblepaw had never been left alone before. Anxiety tingled his paws as he busied himself with sorting the herbs, which didn't take that long to sort. After he had sorted through them twice more even though it wasn't necessary, he stopped. Normally, Whitewater would have prodded him in the side.

"Go get some freshkill. I'll deal with all of this," she would meow, gesturing to the stack of herbs he had reorganized seven times that day already. He would move out of her way.

"Okay," he would meow, pausing at the den entrance. If it had been a particularly trying day, he'd say, "I'll go gather some herbs around the Horseplace, too." She would always nod absently, with a dismissive tail flick. She was always so absentminded, and he wondered what she was thinking about all the time.

_Does she think about mistakes she made as an apprentice? _he wondered, looking disinterestedly over the herbs. He wasn't sure he should leave the camp when there was only one Medicine Cat around. Isn't that why Whitewater had left him behind? To act as a medicine cat while she was gone? Worry knawed at his belly, duty to his mentor keeping him in camp while he worried over what in all of StarClan could be keeping her for so long. How long was it until it warranted the deputy's attention?

His blue eyes drifted towards the entrance of the thorn bush, and he crept towards it, tilting his head up towards the sky. The mostly full moon was covered in a swath of dark clouds. The camp was bathed in what little starlight could be seen, making it seem dark and shadowy, but a cat's natural night vision cut through the darkness easily. He padded quickly and quietly towards the leader's den, poking his nose under the bramble thickets and half-expecting Redstar and his deputy to both be there. However, Hailfrost was alone, his blue eyes narrowed and expression unreadable. Pebblepaw froze, his pelt prickling under the cold scrutiny.

"Pepplepaw," he greeted, his face relaxing into friendly warmth. "Is something wrong?"

The young gray tom relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he was holding. "Yes, actually," he said, shifting his paws. It wasn't common for him to speak to the deputy, and doing so now reminded him all too well of what life was like without Whitewater around. "I was wondering about Whitewater. She's been gone for a while now."

The big tom flicked his tail tip, a silent beckoning to continue.

"She has come back since sunhigh," he continued, unsure how to express his concerns and quailing underneath the deputy's stare.

"This is the first time you've been alone in the den, hasn't it?" he asked, his voice sympathetic. "Don't worry about Whitewater. She's probably gone to the Moonpool with Redstar and Volefang." At Pebblepaw's skeptical expression, Hailfrost added. "She's young and strong and has a good head on her shoulders. She'll be fine."

Pebblepaw wasn't so sure. "I don't know. She's been pretty absentminded lately," he said, before realizing that he had never seen her _not_ absentminded about something. "I'm just worried that she might get hurt."

Hailfrost touched a tail-tip to his shoulder in comfort. "If it makes you feel better, I'll ask the patrols to be on the look out for her and the others when they get back." His bright blue eyes searched Pebblepaw's frazzled features. "Get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning."

The young grey tom dipped his head. "Thank you, sir," he meowed, grateful that something was being done. He padded back towards the den and nestled in his nest, laying his tail over his nose, but no matter how long he stayed still with his eyes closed, he couldn't bring himself to drift off to sleep.

"Whitewater's fine," he told himself. "She's probably with Redstar and Volefang right now and will be back in the morning."

It was unlike her to leave the camp like this and Pebblepaw couldn't recall her ever saying she would be going with the others to the Moonpool, especially without him out there beside her. It didn't make sense to Pebblepaw for her to up and leave without informing him.

_Perhaps she's trusting me to be on my own,_ he thought, though a part of him didn't believe that.

He sighed. "Where are you, Whitewater?"


End file.
